Tea
Okay faggots, since you begged and pleaded for a tea page, here's a tea page. Edit it to your heat's content. Types of Tea, and /ck/ approved teas. All true tea comes from the plant ''Camellia sinensis,'' but variety comes from a number of factors in production and processing. Without going into depth, the two most notable of these factors are the growing conditions and the oxidization of the leaves after harvest. The time the leaves spent fermenting determines the category of tea they fall into (I am sure we are all familiar with the 6 Types of Chinese Tea). Once a desired level of oxidization is reached, the leaves are heated in a procedure called Kill-Green. The method used to heat the leaves creates a second distinction that can be used to further differentiate tea varieties; traditionally, Chinese Tea is pan-fried and Japanese Tea is steamed. There are exceptions to this rule, and not all tea is prepared in this manner (Korean teas are sometimes both pan-fried and steamed) but it is a widely used categorization. * Green Tea: Green tea is produced when the leaves of undergo only minimal oxidization during processioning. It is considered un-fermented, and has the least amount of caffeine because of this. ** Gyokuro - A Japanese tea, differentiating from sencha in that it is grown under full shade. Steeps at 55 Celsius for two minutes. It has a mellow and sweet taste. ** Longjing - "Dragon well"; a Chinese green known for its high quality and light flavor. Steeps for one minute at 80 degrees. ** Sencha - The most popular Japanese tea. Steeps for one minute at 80 Celsius. It has a grassy or vegetable taste. ** Genmaicha - A mixture of sencha and roasted brown rice, the latter giving it a robust, nutty flavor. A very warming tea. ** Hojicha - A special Japanese tea that is roasted over charcoal in a porcelain pot. Toasty flavor, it is often had after a meal or on a cold night. 1-3 minutes at 82 degrees. ** Matcha - A powdered Japanese tea prepared in a special manner (see tea equipment). Expensive as hell, but uniquely bitter and very sweet. Can be prepared hot or cold. * Yellow Tea: Yellow teas are slightly fermented. An important distinction, however, is that it undergoes an additional step in processioning( "smothering") that gives it a yellow infusion and a sweet, mellow flavor. * White Tea: One step up from green, white teas are slightly fermented. This type of tea is a distinct product of China. The tea itself looks yellow-green. * Oolong Tea: Oolong is produced from a special process of withering and sun oxidation prior to curling, and can vary widely in levels of fermentation (from 8%-85%). Therefore, some varieties may taste like Green tea, and others Black. ** Tieguanyin - Named after the Bodhisattva of Compassion, this tea is usually referred to as Iron Goddess of Mercy in the west. It is on the low end of the oxidation scale. Almost fruity taste. Steeps at 90-95 degrees. * Black Tea: Black teas are fully fermented, and due to their caffeine content are seen as an alternative to coffee in the Western World. ** Keemun '- ** '''Assam '- ** 'Ceylon '- ** '''Darjeeling ** Lapsang Souchong - A Chinese tea from Wuyi in China's Fujian province. It's claim to fame is its unique drying process in which the leaves are smoked over a pinewood fire. This gives the tea a smokey flavor, described as drinking whiskey or just pine smoke. In China, it is considered tea for Westerners. Steeps for 2-3 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius. ** Liu Bao - A pseudo-pu'er black tea also known as Hei Cha or dark tea . It's aged kind of like pu'er, but nonetheless experienced tasters note a distinct difference in flavor, and there is likewise a difference in production and storage that keeps Liu Bao a black tea. It's infusion is a dark shade of red, it smells like damp, rotting wood, but it has a subtle, mild after taste that makes it a formidable after-meal tea. Steeps for 1-2 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius. * Raw/Sheng Pu'er Tea - Pronounced pwar, these are produced in a process of natural fermentation and are directly tied to China's Yunnan province. Pu'er is made from C. sinensis assamica, the large leaf variety of C. sinensis and is the only variety of tea that is better when aged. It is often sold in pucks. Due to failures at standardization, it is very hard to get authentic ''pwar tea, as many conflicting processes of production (including differences between natural and artificial fermentation) severely complicate any attempts at a proper definition. This is hazardous because some people buy Pu'er as an investment; it's like wine in that you buy a cake, store it away, and sell it later when it's properly aged. However, if you buy the wrong tea it will taste terrible after aging, and there is little hope of knowing what you're shelling out money for is actually properly aged Yunnan tea. Just give up the dream at this point. It experienced a boom - and subsequent crash - in the mid to late 2000's, and is historically popular among Tibetans, Taiwanese, and those in Hong Kong. * '''Ripe/Shou Pu'er Tea' - a type of Hei Cha, similar to Raw Pu'er except the leaf is wet-piled for up to 2 months to artificially age the leaves in an attempt to mimic aged Raw cakes. this is a similar process to Liu Bao * Blends/Spiced: ** Boba Tea - Known as Bubble Tea, this is a proud Taiwanese tea invention, circa 1980s. It's like a tea-based milkshake, with tapioca pearls added for a chewy texture. It usually comes in green tea, but there are any varieties. Bubble tea is popular in Southeast and East Asia, with some establishments selling among Asian communities in North America. ** Chai (Masala) '''- spiced tea prepared by boiling spices with tea in a water milk mix ** '''Breakfast - ** Russian Caravan - ** Jasmine '''- jasmine flowers are placed on tea leaves so the tea absorbs the fragrance. Steeps for 2-3 minutes at 80 degrees Celsius. ** '''Moroccan Mint Tea - a style of preparing green tea with mint and sugar ** Earl Grey - black tea flavoured with oil of bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added to give its unique taste ** Genmaicha - A mixture of sencha and roasted brown rice, the latter giving it a robust, nutty flavor. A very warming tea. * Herbal Tea/Tisane: Any infusion not using C. siensis. Often looked down upon on /teagen/ for not being "true tea". ** Chamomile - Made from dried Chamomile flowers, thought to ease digestion. It is often used to help insomnia and is considered "the sleepiest of all teas". ** Mugicha - Known as barley tea in the west, it is a grain based infusion made from ground barley or roasted seeds. It is seen as a cooling summer beverage in Japan, but is prepared both hot and cold and consumed year round in China and Korea. It tastes like coffee, and is used as a caffeine free substitute in the US. ** Chaga (Inonotus obliquus') ''- A wild mushroom. Tasteless. Featured in Eastern European folk medicine. Memetic potential. ** '''Fennel - ** Rooibus (red bush) - ** Ginger - ** Reishi - used by gooks for centuries, a tea made from reishi mushrooms is thought to help lower blood pressure, and spike the immune system when one is sick. Tea Equipment Here's a list of equipment for the betterment of tea consumption. * Thermometer - Get a thermometer! Different teas ideally steep at different temperatures. Keeping a small thermometer with your tea supplies is invaluable in unleashing your tea's true potential. Generally more accurate than in-built models within kettles. * Gaiwan - A Chinese lidded bowl developed in the Ming Dynasty to steep tea. They can be made of glass, porcelain, but traditionally they are made from Yixing clay or even jade. I personally recommend porcelain, as I have heard about bad experiences in using Yixing clay. It is not necessary for achieving a heightened flavor, it is not some magic dish that transforms the leaf. It merely helps in regulating the amount of water used, and helps steeping. In using one, I suggest looking up holding positions because it is very easy to burn yourself when pouring. A Gaiwan is the easiest to brew in and clean, also usable for gong-fu and western brewing. * Matcha Equipment '- To make matcha the traditional way, you need a ''chasen - ''a bamboo whisk-, a ''chawan - the bowl -, and the chashaku - the bamboo spoon. It is also recommended to get a small sieve, as the powder tends to clump up and does not properly whisk into the tea. In preparing the tea, whisk vigorously in an "M" motion, in order to get a nice froth. A milk frother can be used to mix it if all else fails. * '''Tea Balls - Don't use them, or any other similar infusing method that confines the leaf! Leaves need space to fully unravel as they steep, using a tea ball constricts this and leads to a diminished flavor. * Kettle '- * '''Teapot '- * 'Cup '- * 'Strainer '- * 'Air-tight container '- '''Brewing Styles * Gongfu - high leaf to water ratio, typically 5g/100ml. very short steeps with multiply infusions based on tea type and quality. yunnansourcing & meileaf are the two go to guides with meileaf preferring linear steep times and more infusions vs yunnansourcing teasing out the flavour of the leaf * Western '''- typically 1 teaspoon(~2g) / 200ml or in a large tea pot 1tsp per cup plus 1 extra. longer steeps and fewer infusions, most loose leaf will yield 3 infusions with increasing steep times. steep tims is generally 2-3mins for white/green, 3-5mins for more oxidized. '''Technique/Considerations * Water quality * Pre-heating * Expansion Where to Buy Tea A similar question is often posted in tea threads: "What brand is best'? This is a trick question; the best tea doesn't come from a brand, you want loose leaf! If you're anywhere near a city, look for a tea house. If there isn't one close by, look in Asian-groceries or food cooperatives, both of which hold loose leaf teas. With the former, I hear that the rule of thumb is the more unintelligible the writing, the better the quality. But if there isn't anywhere local from which you can buy tea, you'll have to look online. don't buy online, this will have to be supplemented by other users. common sites include: http://yunnansourcing.com/ (China based, curated, youtube channel) https://meileaf.com/ (UK based, curated, higher quality/priced tea, dodgy tea claims mostly about tree age, youtube channel has tutorials, plantation visits and howto's) https://white2tea.com/ (UK based) https://www.vahdam.com/ (India based) Dragon Tea House (also on ebay) (China based) likely not top quality, but still good. (Good for ebay promos) ebay (obviously can be hit or miss, impossible to tell if tea cakes are genuine)